LEXINGTON, Va. – The No. 6 Washington and Lee men's soccer team fought back from a two-goal deficit while down a man to salvage a 3-3 draw on Saturday afternoon against Batten University.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The first momentum shift in the game occurred in the 24th minute when the Generals (9-1-1, 3-0-1 ODAC) were forced to play the next 66 minutes down a player after a red-card offense at the top of the box.
- Playing with the one-man advantage, Batten's (1-5-6, 0-2-2 ODAC) JaMarhe Wills found the back of the net in the 34th and 39th minutes to push his side out in front by two goals.
- The Generals came out of the halftime break on fire and unphased by the disadvantage, and they got a goal back in the 52nd minute when sophomore Sami Seife scored straight off a free kick just to the right of the top of the box.
- Still in full control of possession and the offensive chances, W&L equalized in the 73rd minute when senior Matthew Jenkins found first-year Rowan Sellers in the box for a goal. Sellers got himself just enough space near the penalty spot and shot through traffic, scoring to the top-right corner.
- Just over three minutes later, the Generals went ahead by a goal when sophomore Isaac Arrowood, similar to Sellers moments before, sent a shot in through traffic that found the low-right corner of the frame.
- W&L nearly put a fourth goal on the board in the 80th minute, but a tough save by Gabe Ames on Sellers kept the Marlins within a goal. That save proved big as Batten went on to re-equalize just under two minutes later. Damen Metry put a free kick into the box, where Mac Nalls cashed in from close range at the left post.
TOP PERFORMERS:
- Seife's goal was his fourth of the season, while Sellers notched his team-leading fifth of the year and Arrowood got his first.
- Jenkins tied Seife for the team lead in assists (4) with his pass on Sellers' goal, with senior Spencer Furman getting his second assist of the year on the Arrowood goal.
- Arrowood led the Generals' offense with four shot attempts, followed by Sellers at three and four other W&L players with two each.
- Wills led the Marlins' offense with his two goals, with Nalls' goal going as his third this season. Tyler Hiatt, Damen Metry and Mason Wakefield each had one assist.
- Junior Miles Furman played all 90 minutes in the W&L goal and made three saves, while Adrian Najarro and Gabe Ames split time in the Batten goal. Najarro made two saves across the first 24:14, before Ames came on for the remaining 65:46. Ames totaled two saves.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- With Saturday's result, the Generals extended their undefeated streak to 10 games (9-0-1). They are also unbeaten in the last nine games (7-0-2) against the Marlins.
- Now up to five goals on the season, Sellers has the most goals in a season for a first-year player since Matteo Adler '26 scored seven in 2022.
TEAM STATS:
- Despite playing down a man for a majority of the game, the Generals still outshot the Marlins 17-11 overall and 12-7 in the second half.
- W&L also controlled the corner kick opportunities, 4-3, which included a 3-1 edge in the second half.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will return to the pitch on Wednesday night with a 7:00 p.m. start at Randolph-Macon.
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.
